These are the best years of your life
by Buria Campaign
Summary: Revision of "The Best Years of Your Life" Life. Love. Loss. In university, anything and everything can happen. The only certainty is uncertainty.
1. See you again

**Hey guys. Quickhidetherum here. God, it has been so long since I last posted. But...here is the new college au.**

 **I should update monthly. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this new update.**

Rose pursed her lips, straining her ears. She could swear her brother was walking down the stairs. She had been waiting for a few hours for him to finally come down. She had spotted the mail almost instantly. She clapped her hands together, making her way into the hall. _Finally_. She noticed him standing and staring at the kitchen table and she grinned when she saw the birthday present she had given him earlier glinting on his wrist. Rose leaned forward to grab the letters from her brother's hands, grinning at him and opening the mail.

"This a gross invasion of my privacy, you know," he told her, opening the box of cereal beside him. He dug his hands into the box, pulling out a handful and shoving it into his mouth. Rose stuck out her tongue and smiled, flicking through his stuff.

"Ooh, a check from Grandma. I get half of this!" Rose said, her voice filled with excitement. Andrew rolled his eyes, staring at his sister in disdain as she rifled through his birthday cards

"I can't open this one," she said, passing it to him with a sly smile. Andrew furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why not?" he asked, taking the letter from her. Rose stared at him, her hands clasped together in anticipation. Andrew opened the letter, his eyes locking immediately on the letterhead. His hands froze and he glanced at his sister who nudged him.

"Open it!" she demanded. Andrew pursed his lips, pulling the letter from the envelope and grinning when he saw the glaring words. _Congratulations, we are happy to inform you that you have been accepted._ He cleared his throat and glanced at Rose who arched her eyebrow.

"Well?" she asked. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I got in!" he said, his voice filled with disbelief. Rose let out a squeal and jumped into his arms.

"Oh my God! This is amazing! We need to tell mom and dad! Come on!" Rose exclaimed, pulling him up the stairs into the living room. They both stopped in their tracks, glancing around the room at the decorations.

A mixture of **_Happy birthday_** and **_Congratulations Son._** They glanced at Abe who was smirking at them both, a massive cake in his hand.

"Congratulations Andrew," he said brightly. Andrew sighed; they had read his mail. Andrew shook his head and glanced at his mother.

"Does anyone respect my privacy in this house?" he asked. Janine laughed and shook her head.

"With your father on the scene? Not a chance my boy. Happy birthday _and_ congratulations. I canny believe my baby is finally going to uni," Janine said, wiping her eyes. Andrew rolled his eyes, leaning down to peck his mum's cheek.

"Love you, ma," he said softly. He glanced at his family and smiled.

"I better go phone Dimitri!" he said, grinning and running to get his mobile. He grinned when it was already ringing.

"Did you get in? Yes? Fuck yes!" he shouted. Janine scowled, clouting her son over the back of the head.

"Watch your fuckin' language!" she snapped. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Alright maw," he muttered, to another forceful slap. Abe sniggered and glanced at his son.

"Did he get a place?" he asked. Andrew nodded enthusiastically. Abe smiled, wrapping his arm around Janine who shook her head.

"Our wains are growing up," she said, wiping another tear from her eye. Abe smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"That they are," he said softly. Andrew turned to face his parents.

"Can Dimitri come over?" he asked, covering the speaker on the phone. Abe and Janine shared a look before shrugging and nodding their approval.

"Sweet. They said it's cool. I'll come pick you up in about twenty minutes? Yeah, I'll see you soon!" Andrew said, hanging up the phone. Rose grabbed her jacket and grabbed the car keys from the table. Andrew shook his head.

"No way. Not on your life," he snapped, pointing his finger at Rose's face. Rose groaned and stamped her foot.

"You promised you'd take me for McDonald's," she whined. Andrew gave his sister a dark look.

"Can you act your age?" he muttered, shoving past her. Rose grabbed her brother's arm and blinked at him innocently.

"So, I should _totally_ call up Jesse? I'm sure he'd _love_ to take me out," she said, smirking at her brother. Andrew sighed and glanced at his sister in disdain.

"You are a brat," he muttered, swiping the keys from her hands. Rose arched an eyebrow and waited. Andrew groaned.

"Hurry up then," he muttered, shoving her. Rose smirked and shoved him back before climbing into the car beside him. They rode in silence for most of the journey. Andrew seemed to be fighting the urge to say something. Eventually, He glanced at her and then focused on the road in front of him.

"You wouldn't seriously go out with Jesse, would you? The guys a total asshole," he commented. Rose smirked and glanced at her older brother.

"He's so hot though," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Andrew rolled his eyes, pulling into the space outside of Dimitri's flat.

"Can you not?" he said, his face filled with disgust. Rose smirked and shook her head.

"You said that I should act my age," she said snottily. Andrew pulled a face and turned away from her. The car door opened, and Dimitri jumped into the back, shoving a present in Andrew's face.

"Happy birthday," he said, grinning at Andrew. Andrew glanced at the present and turned to face Dimitri.

"You didn't have to get me anything…" he said softly, _he knew how much Dimitri struggled._ Dimitri laughed and shoved him, muttering something under his breath. Andrew opened the gift, letting out a gasp before turning to face Dimitri. Rose stared at her brother and his best friend in disdain.

"God, you two are so weird," she said, plucking the game from her brother's hands and staring at the cover.

"It's supposed to be the best game this console has ever seen. Thank you so much, Dimitri. I love it," he said, smirking at his best friend. Dimitri smiled wide.

"I may have an ulterior motive of wanting to play it myself," he admitted. Rose rolled her eyes and turned to stare at him.

"Let me guess, a game where you get to be a cowboy?" she mocked. Andrew sniggered and glanced at his sister in amusement.

"Not quite, the main character is from Texas though," he pointed out. Rose pursed her lips and shook her head.

"You two are so weird," she repeated. She nudged her brother and let out a heavy sigh.

"I am hungry," she said pointedly. Dimitri scoffed and ruffled her hair.

"When are you not?" he asked. Rose let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

x-x-x

Rose leaned over Dimitri, swiping the remote from his right hand before leaning back in her chair. Dimitri sighed, glancing at Andrew.

"Can you control her?" he asked. Andrew snorted and shook his head.

"Not even my mum can control that little shit," he said, giving his sister a pointed look. Rose smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"My favourite show is on," she said smugly. Dimitri groaned, staring at the TV.

"You watch this shit?" he asked. Rose pursed her lips and gestured at Chad Michael Murray.

"He's beautiful," she said pointedly. Dimitri snorted and pulled a novel out of his back pocket. Rose smirked triumphantly when she realised he wasn't going to argue with her.

"So, when are you two going to celebrate?" she asked. Dimitri and Andrew scoffed and glanced at her.

"As soon as you get your ass off of the couch and let us on the PlayStation," Andrew muttered, kicking at her. Rose rolled her eyes.

"God, you two are pathetic. I'm going to phone Lissa. Enjoy your _party_ ," she said, ruffling their hair as she walked past. Andrew smirked, watching as his sister left the room.

"Finally," Andrew muttered. He grabbed his controllers and pursed his lips.

"So, what to play, what to play," he muttered, scanning his shelves before holding up one of the few coop games.

"Will this do?" he asked, putting it in the console. Dimitri nodded and cleared his throat.

"I can't believe we are going to be at uni together," he said, grinning at his best friend. Andrew laughed and nodded.

"God, I know. It's going to be amazing," he said leaning back against the couch with his hands behind his head. Dimitri smiled and nodded.

"It should be. I've started looking for jobs," Dimitri said, picking at the thread of his jeans. Andrew pursed his lips and cleared his throat.

"Any luck?" he asked, scanning his best friends face. Dimitri shook his head and shrugged.

"We've got a few months before we start. I'll figure something out," he said, staring ahead and gesturing at the game. Andrew frowned, watching him out of the corner of his eyes. He knew how desperately Dimitri wanted to move out of his father's place. Dimitri's parents had a horrendous divorce when they were in the third grade. They never really discussed what happened. All Andrew knew was that Dimitri's dad had won the custody battle. Perks of working in the law enforcement.

"I could ask my dad about jobs," Andrew said, gnawing on his lip. Dimitri shook his head and forced a smile.

"You know my dad won't let me get a job until school is finished," he said, glancing at his feet. He shook his head and gestured at the screen.

"Are we going to play or not?" he asked, grinning when Andrew shoved him.

"You're going down, Belikov," he said, shaking his head.

x-x-x

Rose sighed, resting her head on Lissa's stomach.

"Do you think Andrew will move out? To the dorms I mean," she asked, glancing up at her best friend. Lissa absentmindedly played with a strand of Rose's hair and shrugged.

"You never know. I know I'd love to do it. My uncle Viktor is great but…" she trailed off and Rose let out a laugh.

"But sharing a room with Natalie drives you insane?" she guessed. Lissa groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm a horrible person, I know," she moaned. Rose snorted and sat up.

"Please," she muttered, sitting up. Lissa smiled and picked at a thread on the duvet cover.

"Did you see the new guy today?" she asked. Rose groaned and shook her head.

"Don't even go there! Liss, I heard that his parents are total junkies," Rose said, pulling a face. Lissa ran her tongue over her lower lip and gave Rose a disapproving glance.

"That is not his fault," she said. Rose sighed.

"I know, I know. But he is supposed to be bad news. I mean he showed up to school on a motorbike. _He smokes_. You can't honestly tell me that that is attractive to you," she muttered. Lissa laughed and swatted Rose with a pillow.

" _Please._ At least he is actually our age!" she said pointedly, glancing at Rose's phone. Rose looked down, spotting a text from Jesse. She smirked and glanced at Lissa.

"There's a party tomorrow night that he wants me to come to," Rose said, smirking at her best friend. Lissa shook her head.

"I can't! You know I can't. Plus, aren't you grounded?" she asked. Rose shook her head.

"That was a complete misunderstanding _besides_ my parents aren't home this weekend, and Andrew is working…are you sure you can't come?" Rose asked. Lissa sighed and gave Rose a look. Rose held up her hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine. Come on, let's put on a horror. What do you think? Vampire or Zombie?" Rose asked. Lissa pulled a face and stared at her best friend.

"You know how I feel about the V word," she said, shaking her head. Rose smirked and shook her head.

"I honestly don't know how Blade scarred you so much," she muttered. Lissa pursed her lips and glowered at her best friend.

"Coming from the girl that still won't watch Coraline," she retorted. "Just put on a film." Rose smirked, flicking through her DVD collection before holding up one. Lissa groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Rose!" she moaned. Rose ignored her, throwing the DVD into the player and turning to smirk at her best friend before flopping down on the bed beside her.

x-x-x

Rose lounged against the pillar at the front of the house. She pursed her lips, waiting for someone to open the door. She smirked when the door opened and glanced at Paul expectantly. Paul shook his head and gestured for her to head back home.

"Not a chance, Hathaway. Your brother will murder me," he said, putting his hand over the doorway to block her entrance. Rose scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That just begs the question; which of us are you more afraid of?" she challenged, narrowing her eyes at him. Paul opened his mouth to protest when someone appeared at his side.

"Come on, Paul. Let the lady in. She's my guest," Jesse said, giving her the once over. Paul held up his hands in defeat and walked away.

"Your funeral," he muttered, holding up his hands in defeat. Jesse scoffed and gestured for Rose to enter the room.

"Want a drink?" he asked, gesturing into the kitchen. Rose nodded, following him and saying hi to the people she knew. She noticed a few stares from some of Andrew's friends and she even heard a few _Isn't she like sixteen?_ and _What is Jesse thinking?_ She pursed her lips and squared her shoulders, focusing on Jesse.

"Make it a double?" she asked. He laughed and gestured to the cupboard in the corner.

"Help yourself," he said, leaning back against the breakfast bar behind him. "I'm surprised you came, you know. Thought you'd be too scared to face your brother," he commented, swishing his beer around in his cup before glancing at Rose. She scoffed, turning to face him, taking a large sip of her drink.

"Andrew is working tonight, so _we_ have nothing to worry about," she said, resting her hand on his chest. Jesse smirked, glancing down at her.

"Hmm, I wonder what we could get up to in that time," he whispered. Rose shuddered slightly, her skin beginning to goosebump. She ran her tongue over her lower lip, smirking when Jesse followed the movement. She felt him take a step forward and she exhaled, her heart racing. He was going to kiss her. She could feel it. His eyes kept falling to her lips.

"Jesse, come on man. Stop flirting. We need you to set up the music in the pool house," Ralph moaned, appearing at the door. Rose sighed, glancing at Ralph in distain. He was Jesse's best friend…and happened to be a complete and utter asshole. Jesse gave Rose an apologetic smile and gestured after Ralph and saying he would be back in a few minutes. Rose nodded, making her way into the main hall. She spotted a few of the girls from the year above and made her way over to them. _Small talk._ She would have to make small talk. _This_ was why she wanted Lissa to come with her.

"Hey guys, how are you both?" she asked, smiling at Jade and Amber.

"Hey Rose, was that Jesse we saw you talking with?" Amber asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Rose. Jade sighed and shook her head.

"That boy is so nice to look at," She commented, tilting her head to the side and staring out the window to the pool house where Jesse was talking animatedly to his friends. Rose laughed and shrugged.

"Yeah. He invited me," she said nonchalantly. Jade sighed and glanced at Rose.

"You are _so_ lucky," she muttered. Rose laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah…as you can see he has left me to my own devices," she muttered. Amber laughed and shook her head.

"Well, at least you have us. Fancy a little game?" she asked, gesturing at the beer pong table. She smirked at Rose. Rose gnawed on her lower lip before staring at the girls.

"A quick game," she said, holding up her finger threateningly.

Of course. Their quick game had ended far later than Rose had planned and somehow the second round had involved glasses filled with vodka and coke rather than beer. Thankfully, Rose had been a better shot than the girls, so she hadn't consumed nearly as much alcohol. She let out a gasp when an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Having fun without me?" Jesse drawled, his voice causing a tremor to run down her back. She bit her lower lip, glancing at him.

"I had to find some way to occupy myself," she purred, resting her hand on his chest. Jesse raised an eyebrow and tugged her towards him.

"Is that so?" he asked, his eyes falling to her lips. Rose ran her tongue over her lower lip, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes. Jesse tugged her hands, pulling her towards him.

"You'll be the death of me, Hathaway," he said, giving her an appreciative once over. Rose smirked, gesturing towards the stairs.

"Let's get out of here," she murmured. Jesse glanced down at her, turning to glance around the room before following her into Paul's father's study. Jesse sat down on the couch, waiting for Rose to take a place. She flopped down next to him and nudged him with her elbow.

"I notice that I am the only person here from my age group. What's that about?" she teased. Jesse shrugged.

"People your age tend to be annoying," he said pointedly. Rose gave him a disapproving look and he held up his hand in mock surrender. He smiled, flashing his teeth at her. "I said tend to be. Plus, you are a lot hotter than the other girls your age…or any age."

"Glad I make the cut," Rose said softly, her hand resting on his chest. Jesse turned slightly, his hand sliding up her legs, a heat filling his eyes. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and his testosterone seemed to kick in, her was kissing her eagerly, pushing her back against the couch. Rose let out a small moan, arching her back as he dug his teeth into a soft spot on her neck. She didn't protest when Jesse tugged off her shirt, leaving her in a lacy black bra. Jesse tugged her legs slightly, pulling her down the couch towards him. His lips traveled down to the same spot on her neck again and Rose arched up against him, letting out a moan with the jolt of friction between them. Jesse paused, scanning her face. Rose shook her head and met his eyes.

"No," she warned. Jesse's mouth returned to the spot on her neck and he ground his hips against her, smirking against her skin when she let out a shaky breath.

"You want to, I can tell," he whispered. Rose sat up on her elbows and stared at him.

"I'm not having sex," she said pointedly. Jesse paused, thinking about it before deciding not to push it.

"Okay," he agreed before returning to kissing her. The kisses were heavy, and Rose had to admit that it felt amazing. She moved up her hands to tangle in his hair. They sprang apart when the door opened, and Rose sighed heavily.

"Can't you see the room is occupied?" she snapped, glancing up. Only, she wished she hadn't…and she had the feeling that Jesse was wishing the same thing. In the blink of an eye, Dimitri had crossed the room, lifting Jesse up by his t-shirt, almost holding him off the ground.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you are doing?" he snarled. Jesse grit his teeth, grabbing Dimitri's hand in attempt to loosen his grip, it only seemed to make him grip harder.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jesse retorted. _Wrong response. Entirely wrong response_. Dimitri ran his tongue over his front teeth, glancing behind Jesse to where Rose was sitting on the couch.

"It looks to me like you are inviting underage girls to your parties so that you can get them drunk and then try to sleep with them," Dimitri said, his face filled with disgust. Jesse scoffed, and Dimitri's grip tightened on his shirt, lifting him almost completely off the ground.

"If I even so much as see you looking at her again I will make sure her brother finds out about this. We will come after you, and it will hurt. _A lot_ ," he snapped, thumping Jesse against the wall behind him and putting pressure on his throat, as if to make a point. He dropped Jesse and the other boy scrambled away, muttering that Dimitri was a _psycho_. Then Dimitri's gaze turned on Rose and she shrunk back slightly under his angry, disapproving gaze. Then it changed, the look he was giving her. If Rose hadn't known better, she would have assumed that he was checking her out. His eyes seemed to be giving her the once over, studying her. It took Rose a few seconds under his gaze to realize that she was in nothing but a bra and jeans. She wasn't stupid. She knew that she looked damn good in the bra she was wearing…and part of her wondered if he knew it too.

"See something you like?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Dimitri's jaw clenched, and he threw his jacket at her.

"Cover yourself up," he hissed. Rose glanced around for her t-shirt before realizing that it was nowhere to be seen, and she was _not_ rummaging around on the floor. That would only make things so much worse. She begrudgingly put on Dimitri's jacket and crossed her arms over her chest.

"How did you even find me? Did Andrew have you following me?" she hissed. Dimitri rolled his eyes and glanced at her.

"Funnily enough Rose. Our lives do not revolve completely around you. I was here with a friend," he said. It was around that moment that said _friend_ appeared in the doorway and Rose caught sight of her. Rose clenched her jaw and nodded.

"Excellent. Well, thank you for ruining my night. I'll keep the jacket," she muttered, heading for the door. Dimitri grabbed her arm and looked down at her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Rose gestured with her hands and Dimitri shook his head.

"Not a chance. You're supposed to be at home so that is where I am taking you," he said, pulling her arm. Rose tugged her arm out of his grip and narrowed her eyes.

"Like hell you are. I am not leaving here with you," she snapped. Dimitri gave her a dark look and shrugged.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he commented. Rose scoffed, turning to walk away from him. Dimitri grabbed the sleeves of his jacket before picking Rose up and throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. He glanced at the girl in the doorway and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I've got to get her home," he said apologetically. The girl smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling at him. Rose let out a shriek.

"Put me down!" she demanded. Dimitri ignored her, heading out the doorway to his pick up truck. He opened the door, shoving Rose inside before climbing in and starting the engine. Rose pulled at the door handle and realized very quickly what he had done.

"Child locks, Dimitri. _Really?_ " she snapped. Dimitri shrugged and stared at the road in front of them.

"If you are going to behave like a child, I am going to treat you like one," he muttered. Rose shook her head and slumped back in the seat. "I can't believe you let yourself get into a situation like that with Jesse of all people," Dimitri muttered, disgust lacing his words.

"It's not that big of a deal," she muttered. Dimitri shook his head and glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"It is. Guys like Jesse love to brag about _conquests_ like you." He said pointedly.

Rose pursed her lips. "So?"

" _So?"_ He looked disgusted and Rose had to admit the look he was giving her made her want to shrink away. "Don't you have any self-respect? You made yourself look cheap."

Rose scoffed and shook her head. "Oh, spare me the lecture. So, it's perfectly fine for you and Andrew to sleep around but when I do it I'm a slut?" she snapped. Dimitri shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he pulled into her driveway.

"That is not what I'm saying, and you know it! You're sixteen. He's eighteen!" he snapped, slamming his hand down on the steering wheel. Rose flinched, and Dimitri froze, catching her movement in the corner of his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry, Rose. I know that you think that your brother and I are assholes, but we're just trying to look out for you. Guys like Jesse, they are only after one thing and they aren't going to stick around once they get it. You should wait…find someone you care about…more importantly someone who cares about you," Dimitri said softly. Rose shook her head and gestured for him to open the car door. He obliged, opening it.

As Rose stepped out, she found her legs couldn't hold her. Dimitri scooped her up. " _You've got to be kidding me_ ," he hissed smelling the vodka. "How much did you drink?"

"I really don't think that's any of _your_ business," she said pointedly, avoiding eye contact.

He rolled his eyes and picked her up gently, carrying her into the house. By the time he made it to her room, she'd passed out. Sighing heavily, he tucked her into bed. He couldn't leave now. What if she got sick? Or…god forbid…had alcohol poisoning?

He wandered into his best friend's room, letting out a groan…now was the hard part: tell Andrew or not? With all the commotion Rose made leaving it would be hard not to. But what would he say? _I didn't know how to react to seeing your sister in her bra, so I heavily implied she was a slut_? He groaned, hitting his head off the door frame a few times. _Why couldn't she have just stayed home?_

Shaking off the weight of that decision for now, he glanced up at the shelf of games and picked an old favorite, one he and Andrew hadn't played in years. Popping it into the console, he allowed himself to get lost in the game, far away from Rose's poor decisions and his own inapt reactions to them.


	2. Word Travels Fast

**Hey guys, Sam here again. Sorry it has taken so long but hopefully this is worth the wait.**

Dimitri sighed when he heard Rose coughing. He stood up, exhaling heavily and making his way into Rose's room. He noticed the door to her en-suite was opened. He made his way into the room, leaning against the door frame and smirking at her.

"Don't even start," she moaned, before retching again. Dimitri chuckled and crouched down beside her.

"I think you are going to be suffering enough tomorrow," he teased, pulling her hair into a bun and wrapping a hair tie around it. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"You are going to be so hungover in the morning," he said softly. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Fuck off," she growled. Dimitri dropped her her hair and removed his hand from her back. Rose let out a small groan of protest and Dimitri chuckled.

"Either I fuck off or, I comfort you. I can't do both," he quipped. Rose let out a pathetic whimper of ' _stay'._ Dimitri laughed and rubbed her back again.

"Right, come on. Get it all up," he said softly. After a few minutes it felt like she was starting to fall asleep. Dimitri stood up, scooping her into his arms and walking towards her bed. Rose groaned and grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave me," she demanded. Dimitri sighed.

"Come on Roza, you need to sleep," he murmured, placing her onto the bed. Rose groaned and grabbed his arm.

"I just want someone to play with my hair," she whined. Dimitri rolled his eyes and stood up, brushing down his jeans.

"Give me two minutes," he muttered heading back to Andrew's room. He threw on a pair of plaid trousers and a top before tiptoeing back to her room, hoping she had fallen asleep. _No such luck_. She was sitting upright, staring at him expectantly. He sighed and made his way over to the bed.

"You are a total brat," he told her. Rose moved over, letting him slide on to the bed. She smirked, laying her head across his chest. Dimitri sighed, running a hand through her hair. His hand ran almost automatically through her hair until his eyes began to drift shut.

X-x-x

Andrew rolled his shoulders, trying to let out some tension. His back was tense from lifting crates. He paused in the driveway, glancing at the familiar car in the driveway. It looked just like Dimitri's. But, he was on a date...wasn't he? He shrugged, making his way into the house and dumping his keys into the drawer after locking the door. He kicked off his shoes and made his way into the kitchen. He grinned when he realised his grandmother had sent another package from Scotland. He grabbed a teacake, shoving the full thing into his mouth and chewing. He made his way up the stairs and headed into his room. _He was fucking exhausted._

Andrew groaned, rolling over in the bed and digging under his back. He pulled out the remote and groaned. _How the fuck had that ended up under him?_ He noticed the time and groaned again. He should really get up and get dressed. He pursed his lips and rolled his shoulders and headed towards Rose's room to wake her up. The little shit would sleep the whole day away if he let her. He opened the door and stepped inside. He noticed Rose's hair splayed out across her pillow and he laughed at the knotted mess. He moved towards the bed and had to do a double take. Because his sister's hair wasn't draped across her pillow. It was draped across his best friend's chest. He paused at the bottom of the bed and shook his head, taking in the sight before him, He had to try not to laugh. Dimitri's hand was running through Rose's hair and one of her legs was wrapped around Dimitri's. Andrew smirked, pulling out his phone and taking a couple of pictures. He smirked when he saw them begin to stir. Dimitri groaned, covering his eyes and staring up at the flashing light that was going off. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, staring bleary eyed at Andrew who was glaring at him, his arms crossed over his chest. Dimitri's hand immediately stilled in Rose's hair. He sat up fully, gently moving Rose's leg off of his. He stood up, holding out his hands.

"This isn't what it looks like," he said quickly. Andrew raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips, trying to look pissed off.

"Oh really? Then what exactly is it?" he asked, praying he wouldn't laugh. Dimitri ran his tongue over his lower lip and glanced at Rose, trying to find the words. Rose sat up and held her head, groaning. She stood up, making a run for the toilet. Andrew blinked in surprise and turned to face Dimitri.

"What has she gotten herself into now?" he asked. Dimitri crossed his arms over his chest and gestured at Rose.

"Why don't you ask your sister?" he asked. Andrew turned away from him, his shoulders shaking. Andrew glanced at his sister then turned back to face Dimitri.

"Why are you avoiding the question? What's going on?" he asked, trying to goad some sort of reaction. Dimitri clenched his jaw and shook his head.

"Nothing is going on. You're being ridiculous," Dimitri said, running a hand through his hair. Andrew smirked and turned to face his sister.

"All I know is that I walk in to my younger sisters room and I see you two all curled up in bed. What am I supposed to think?" he asked. Dimitri's jaw tightened and he ran his tongue over his front teeth, ready to retort.

"Would the two of you shut the fuck up," Rose moaned, clutching her head before retching again. Dimitri sighed and moved into the bathroom, leaning down to rub Rose's back. Andrew leaned on the door frame and forced a scowl.

"Will someone please explain what the hell is going on? Or should I call dad?" he asked. Rose rolled her eyes and glared up at her brother.

"Clearly I am fucking hungover. Surely you should fucking recognise it," she muttered, holding her head in her temple. _This_ Andrew finally took seriously.

"You were drinking? Are you kidding me?" he snapped. He turned to face Dimitri, his eyes narrowed. Rose groaned and shook her head.

"For god's sake Andrew. _He_ is the one who got me home safely. Dimitri. He's ripping the piss out of you he knows nothing happened for fucks sake. Now can you both fuck off and leave me to die," she pleaded. Dimitri rolled his eyes and sat down beside her.

"You're such a drama queen," he muttered, forcing some pain killers and a bottle of water into her hands before leaving the room. Andrew pursed his lips and followed after Dimitri.

"So what happened last night? Where was she?" he asked. Dimitri stopped in his tracks and turned to face his best friend.

"She had too much to drink. I brought her home. Anything else you want to know you can find out from Rose," he said. Andrew pursed his lip and shook his head.

"I didn't know we kept secrets," he muttered, picking at a loose piece of skin on his arm. Dimitri turned to face him and shook his head.

"It's not my place," he said quickly. Andrew pursed his lips and shook his head.

"You're trying to hide something," he muttered. _To say he was pissed off was an understatement. He had started this morning trying to embarrass Dimitri hinting that something had happened. Now he was left wondering exactly what_ _ **had**_ _happened that he didn't know about._

x-x-x

Rose sighed and adjusted her tshirt, turning to face Lissa.

"I feel like everyone is looking at me," she muttered, glancing to the front of the class. Lissa pursed her lips and nodded.

"It does feel like it. Although, you are wearing that low cut top. It usually gets you a lot of stares," Lissa said, glancing down at her own chest and sighing. Rose laughed, shoving her and shaking her head.

"So anyway. _He_ totally freaked and threatened Jesse. Can you believe the nerve?" She whispered. Lissa smirked and leaned in.

"Bet you found it totally hot," she whispered. Rose flushed and shook her head.

" _Please_ , he is like my brother," she muttered. Lissa rolled her eyes, picking at her food. Sr pushed the food around and sighed.

"This is disgusting. I'm going to go grab something else. Do you want anything?" Lissa asked. Rose shook her head, finishing off her own lunch. She glanced over at Lissa, frowning when she realised that her best friend was striking up conversation with the new kid. She pursed her lips and shook her head. _Not good_. She jumped a little when someone thumped into the seat beside her.

"Hey gorgeous," Jesse drawled, leaning back in the chair and giving her a cocky smile. Unfortunately for Jesse, Rose could only remember him stumbling out of the room away from Dimitri. She arched an eyebrow and glanced at him expectantly.

"I just wanted to see if you're going to make an appearance at the beach later on tonight," he said. Rose scoffed and shook her head.

"I can't. I'm busy," she lied. Jesse blinked in surprise and he looked at her, trying to read her face.

"Oh. Well, that's a real shame. Maybe next time?" he asked, standing up. Rose nodded and glanced back at the lunch line, praying Lissa would hurry up. She met Lissa's eyes and pulled a face. Lissa smiled, heading back towards her when suddenly a seat was kicked out in front of her, knocking Lissa's plate all over her. Rose stood up, making her way towards Lissa who was wiping the food off of her shirt. Rose let out a growl and pushed her way towards Lissa.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Then they heard the laughter. Rose whirled round to face the culprit and grit her teeth; Avery. This girl just _could not_ take a hint. Rose took a step towards the girl, her fist clenched. _Avery was dating Lissa's ex and was waging a sort of one sided war against Lissa. One that Lissa had no interest in. Rose however, was not above fighting in Lissa's place._

"You little bitch." Rose growled. Lissa grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"Come on Rose. She's not worth it," she pleaded. Avery smirked, glancing at her perfectly manicured nails. Rose took a step back and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Must be hard when your boyfriend is in love with someone else. From what I hear Aaron is still in love with you. Second best. Shame really," Rose sneered. Avery ground her teeth together and shook her head.

"Please, Aaron wants _nothing_ to do with that _psycho_ ," Avery sneered. Rose stiffened and felt Lissa do the same beside her. Avery smirked, realising that she had hit a nerve.

"I mean what type of _psycho_ does that. Trying to kill yourself is a _sin_ you know," she goaded, eying the crucifix dangling from Lissa's neck. Rose lunged forward, tugging free of Lissa's grip. She grabbed Avery's neck, lifting her into midair. Avery grabbed Rose's hand and pulled, trying to loosen the grip.

"If you ever bring _anything_ like that up again I am going to crush you," Rose spat, loosening her grip and taking a step back.

"Maybe next time she'll actually be successful, do us all a favour," Avery said, shaking her head. She wasn't expecting Rose's fist to crash into her face.

"HATHAWAY!"

X-x-x

Rose laughed, resting her head on Lissa's shoulder.

"That was totally worth getting my arse handed to me. I have detention for the next two weeks. Kirova was pissed but did you see Avery's face? That's definitely going to leave a bruise," she chuckled. Lissa smiled, running her hand through Rose's hair and sighing.

"I wish you didn't have to resort to violence," Lissa said softly. Rose shrugged and glanced up at her best friend.

"She deserved it Lissa. There is no way I would let her get away with saying something like that to you," Rose said, meeting Lissa's eyes and smiling. Lissa frowned, tracing the scars on her wrist.

"Sometimes I wonder…" she began. Rose shook her head, sitting up and glaring at her.

" _Don't. Don't you dare,"_ she snapped. Lissa glanced at her, her eyes glossing over.

"It should have been me," she muttered. Rose shook her head.

"Don't listen to that stupid bitch, she doesn't have a clue what she is talking about. You are loved and important and damn it Liss I couldn't have coped if it had been you. It kills me that I can't fix this. I'd take it all away if I could," she said, her eyes watering. Lissa smiled, her nose crinkling.

"God I love you," she said, shaking her head and leaning into Rose's side.

"Love you too you weirdo," Rose replied. She glanced at Lissa and nudged her.

"Pretty sure I seen you talking to the new kid again today," she commented. Lissa rolled her eyes.

"Come on Rose. Can we leave it?" she asked. Rose pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Fine, whatever. Movie?" she asked. Lissa laughed, jumping up and turning to face Rose.

"Tonight is my pick!" she said brightly, picking up a film and turning it round. Rose groaned and shook her head.

"Come on Lissa. We have seen this like 500 times," she muttered. Lissa grinned, holding the DVD to her chest.

"I love it...and so do you so move over and shut up," she muttered. Rose moved over and grinned.

"Elle Woods is an icon," she admitted. Lissa flopped onto her stomach and smiled.

x-x-x

Lissa clenched her fist around her pencil and shook her head, trying to drown out the voices behind her. It had become apparent when they had arrived at school that yesterday hadn't been a one off. In fact, today the looks and stares were getting worse. Obviously someone had been spreading around what had happened between Avery and Rose yesterday. She stood up, grabbing her books and moving to exit the library. She frowned when an arm closed around her wrist and she looked up to see the new boy staring at her intently.

"What do you want, Christian," she said, tugging her arm back. He frowned and cleared his throat.

"I was just wondering if you and Rose are okay? I've heard some of the things they've said about you both and I want you to know I think it's totally out of order," he said, his eyes flicking to Lissa's wrists instinctively. Lissa rolled her eyes and shoved past him.

"I don't need your fucking pity. Don't think that sharing a spot in the library gives you the right," she snapped. Christian grabbed her hand and shook his head.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said softly. Lissa rolled her eyes and stared at him.

"Look. How about you just stay away from me?" she asked. Christian blinked in surprise and dropped her arm like it was on fire and held up his. Lissa headed out of the library, waiting outside of Rose's class. She smiled when Rose came out of class, pushing herself off of the wall.

"You good?" she asked. Rose smirked and shook her head.

"I'm fine. It isn't like it is the first time I've been the talk of the school," she joked, nudging Lissa with her hip. Lissa rolled her eyes and looped her arm through Rose's.

"Apparently Avery has two black eyes," Rose said gleefully. Lissa sighed.

"You could be less pleased about that. You know that she's going to retaliate," Lissa muttered. Rose smirked, running a hand through her hair as they headed into the courtyard.

"Do I look scared?" she asked. Lissa pursed her lips and shook her head.

"You never do," she muttered. Rose laughed and flopped down at one of the picnic tables. Andrew sat down across from them and shook his head.

"I seen your handy work today," he commented. Rose grinned and popped a grape into her mouth. Andrew exhaled heavily and pursed his lips.

"You just had to get the temperaments of both our parents didn't you?" he mumbled. He glanced at Lissa and ruffled her hair.

"You're supposed to stop her you know. That's what bestfriends are supposed to do," he said pointedly. Lissa cleared her throat and nodded across the courtyard.

"Then you might want to think about stopping your best friend from doing whatever he is about to do," Lissa said, gesturing across at Dimitri who was half dragging someone across the courtyard. Andrew and Rose both jumped out letting out a murmur of _shit_.

X-x-x

Dimitri moved quickly, his jaw clenched as he dragged Jesse across the courtyard.

"Jesus Christ, _what is your damage?"_ Jesse snapped, pulling at Dimitri's hand. Dimitri ground his teeth and pulled Jesse out of the school gates and across the road before pushing him. Jesse shook his head and brushed down his arms.

"What the fuck dude?" he snapped, taking a step back and staring at Dimitri, who crossed his arms over his chest. He tilted his head to the side. Jesse laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, let me guess. You are angry because I'm calling your little girlfriend a slut?" Jesse asked. Dimitri rolled his shoulders and smirked and took a step forward.

"She was practically begging for it you know." he said smugly. "If you hadn't walked in then who knows-" he didn't have time to react to the fist that collided with his face. Dimitri smirked at the satisfying crunch. He exhaled heavily, moving to take a step back. Jesse spat out a bit of blood and shook his head.

"Can't handle the truth? I give it two weeks tops before I sleep with her," he goaded. Dimitri let out a growl of frustration, slamming him into the ground and punching him repeatedly.

"Dimitri! Dimitri, stop!" Rose shouted, grabbing his arm. Dimitri's arm faltered and he exhaled, letting Andrew pull him back.

"Dimitri, what the fuck?" Rose asked, moving towards Jesse. Dimitri let out a sardonic laugh and shook his head.

"Are you seriously going to try and help him right now? Have you heard what he and Ralph are telling people?" Dimitri snapped. Rose paused, turning to face Dimitri who shook his head.

"They're claiming that you three _fucked_ at the party _._ Do you think I'm going to let them talk about you like that?" he hissed. Jesse shook his head holding his jaw and glaring at Dimitri.

"Just you wait. I'm going to get you suspended you prick," he snarled. Dimitri scoffed.

"We're not on school grounds," he said pointedly. Jesse shook his head, heading back into the school and pulling out his phone. Dimitri smirked and put his hands on his knee.

"I think I broke his nose," he said proudly. Rose chewed on her lower lip, staring at him. Andrew cleared his throat, running his tongue over his top teeth and staring at them both. Dimitri looked down at his shoes and sighed.

"This is what you were hiding at the weekend? Does one of you want to tell me what the fuck happened?" he asked, eyes blazing. Dimitri shook his head, turning to face Rose. Rose coughed and glanced at Andrew.

"Do we really need to do this right now?" she asked. Andrew nodded vehemently, glaring at his sister. Rose bit her lip and stared at him.

"I almost fucked Jesse. Is that what you want to hear? Oh...and your best friend walked in on us," she said brightly. Andrew flushed, his cheeks matching the colour of his hair.

"You've got to be kidding me," je said, looking at Dimitri for confirmation.

"She's exaggerating. They were just making out," he said off handedly. Rose smirked at her brother.

"Topless," She goaded. Andrew gave her a disgusted look and gestured at the school.

"With him? God, have some taste," he muttered. Dimitri cursed, glancing at the black car pulling into the car park.

"Great," he muttered, brushing down his trousers and stepping towards the car and opening the door.

"Father, fancy seeing you here," he deadpanned. Kyle glared at his son.

""Get in the car," he muttered, his hand gripping the steering wheel. Dimitri glanced at his friends and gave a sarcastic salute.


End file.
